Shoebaloo flagship store in Amsterdam: a shop without windows, but with a spectacular entrance in natural stone

Dutch MVSA Architects created a place aiming to give the customer an experience of the products

Shoebaloo is a chain of stores with its high-end designer shoes and accessories. Recently the flagship store in PC Hoofstraat in Amsterdam was refurbished after the famous shopping street itself had been upgraded. Dutch MVSA Architects designed the new store – 15 years after they had already raised much attention with their original design for the same place.

The architects give the following description of the new flagship store:

„Our store is the only one on PC Hooftstraat with no shop window. This … places all the attention on the amazing entrance, drawing passers-by inside, where their first experience of the all-important product is direct and unmediated.“

The material used for the entrance tunnel is Ice Stone, a marble conglomerate from China, the company told us on request. „We used it to create a spectacular mirrored pattern that makes the most of its dark veins and unique green ,eyes’. This works to focus the attention on the delights within.“

The interior design is based on requirements for a shop in the online-age: „Experiences matter – and none more so than the shopper’s experience of the product. When shoes can be viewed digitally across so many platforms, seeing them ,in the flesh’ and trying them on becomes a unique encounter. Our new design seeks to emphasize the physical products, creating extended display space and a shopping experience that beautifully frames them.“

„Inside the store, delicate louvres – colored gold as you head into the store, then anthracite when you walk the other way – achieve a subtle color-change effect. The louvres were created from aluminum strips, gold on one side and anthracite on the other, placed on the white wall and ceiling surfaces … These subtle optical effects give the new Shoebaloo store a kind of melting, shimmering glamour. In this mirage-like interior, the gorgeous shoes appear all the more solid, substantial and desirable.“

The interior floor is covered with tiles of Hadrian (Volakas) marble from Greece.

MVSA Architects in a self-presentation: „Our mission is to create architectural solutions that enhance wellbeing. We plan, build and design seamless environments that add functional and emotional value for those who use them, enrich their surroundings, promote sustainability and help companies to succeed … Our goal is always to mix this pragmatism with architectural poetry, to create a building that people love to use.“ The company has offices in the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland.